Continuing Education for Trainers – Developing an International Peer-to-Peer Process Erasmus Project

Project Title

Continuing Education for Trainers – Developing an International Peer-to-Peer Process

Project Key Action

This project related with these key action: Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices

Project Action Type

This project related with this action type : Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training

Project Call Year

This project’s Call Year is 2020

Project Topics

This project is related with these Project Topics: Pedagogy and didactics; New innovative curricula/educational methods/development of training courses; Disabilities – special needs

Project Summary

The project ‘Continuing Education for Trainers – Developing an International Peer-to-Peer Process’ will be conducted by a consortium of 12 member organizations of the international network of vocational education and training providers who prepare professionals for work in the disabilities field on an anthroposophic foundation. The consortium will be led by Anthropoi Bundesverband, the German national association of anthroposophic organizations in the disabilities field. Besides the partner organizations from program countries, the project will include three VET organizations from non-program countries as associated partners, who will add specific expertise and a global and intercultural dimension. The Anthroposophic Council for Inclusive Social Development, as the network’s transnational umbrella organization, will support the project as a fourth associated partner. The Transnational Teaching and Learning Activities that are part of the project will be open to additional faculty members from vocational education and training organizations within the global network of the Anthroposophic Council for Inclusive Social Development.
The project aims to build on prior work within the context of the network by prototyping a peer-to-peer continuing education model for VET instructors, teachers and mentors that is based on sharing good practice in VET methods, didactics and instructional design in a structured process that includes joint reflection, evaluation and further development of educational practices against the backdrop of contemporary VET and adult learning theories and approaches. The goal is to give experienced and new VET educators, as well as VET organizations in the network opportunities to evolve their practices and instructional designs towards open, dynamic and transformative learning environments and communities that meet the needs of professionals in the disabilities field as lifelong learners in a dynamic, diverse, globally interconnected and increasingly unpredictable 21st century environment.
Approximately 50 VET educators from partner organizations, as well as other VET educators from the wider network, will participate in three successive Transnational Teaching and Learning Events over the course of three years. The three Transnational Teaching and Learning Events will follow the format of ‘Methodical-Didactic Labs’, in which examples of innovative instructional practice and design will be shared, tested and evaluated by participants. The three-year time frame will give participants the opportunity to experiment with, evaluate and develop their learning further through implementation within their organizations in the intervening academic years. The project activity as a whole will therefore take the form of a reflective and participatory action research process in three action-reflection cycles, which will be planned, facilitated, documented and evaluated by a Coordinating Group made up of instructional leaders drawn from partner organizations.
The peer-to-peer professional development approach prototyped in the project will stimulate the creation of ongoing peer-to-peer learning processes within and between participating organizations, in regional networks within the wider network of anthroposophic organizations in the disabilities field and beyond. An open source digital platform for the exchange of good practice will be created as part of the project and will continue to be maintained by the Anthroposophic Council for Inclusive Social Development after the project’s conclusion. This will also ensure that project results will be available to related organizations outside the network and the general public.

EU Grant (Eur)

Funding of the project from EU: 239466 Eur

Project Coordinator

Bundesverband anthroposophisches Sozialwesen e.V. & Country: DE

Project Partners

• MarjattaHjemmenes støttefond
• Asociacion San Juan
• Alanus Hochschule, Institut für Waldorfpädagogik, Inklusion und Interkulturalität gemeinnützige UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
• Coöperatie Scillz U.A.
• Stiftelsen Rudolf Steinerhøyskolen
• Anthroposophische Ausbildungen Nord gGmbH
• Karl-Schubert-Gemeinschaft e.V.